American Chores we don't have in Ireland

Take a look at my historic bed and breakfast website at
www.theironhorseinn.com

Living in the US has been an interesting adventure for me as an Irish woman. However there are a number of chores here that I didn't need to worry about in Ireland. For example watering the grass - in Ireland mother nature pretty much takes care of that one - it rains so often it is not necessary to water the lawns - that is why it is so green over there! However here in Texas, keeping the lawns in our lovely old bed and breakfast is a constant chore and there are so many types of sprinklers to do the job! Paul and I took a trip to our local Home Depot at the beginning of the summer and I was mesmerized by all of the gadgets there are to keep the garden watered! They spin, wave, rotate, squeeze and who knows what else - fascinating!
This is part of our 1 acre gardens that we are constantly watering here at the Iron Horse Inn


Another chore I didn't need to worry about in Ireland was controlling the air conditioning. We never get summers so hot that we need to air condition our homes in Ireland- although when I talk to folks from home they tell me they can't bear the heat waves when the temperature is in the 70's over there! I remember feeling exactly the same before i moved here, but now I can work out in the garden in 100 degrees and more! In this big old house we are constantly changing the temperature on the air conditioner to cut back on electricity when we don't have guests in certain parts of the house.
I have also discovered that air conditioners are temperamental creatures and regularly break down and need expensive first aid. Replacing these units costs a pretty penny too as we have discovered.

A constant chore in Ireland is to "turn off the immersion". Every home has a tank to heat water that we call "Immersion heaters" or "the immersion" These can be the bain of our existence! We would turn on the immersion heater to have a bath and the constant chant in most Irish homes from parents was "did you turn off the immersion!" We lived with a fear of the electricity bill from over use of the "immersion". There is a comedian in Ireland who tells a story about someone sitting on a packed bus who tells the person next to them "Oh no, I think I left the immersion on" and the entire bus empties of passengers as everyone hurries home to check if they turned off their own immersions!

First encounters with Texas "Critters"

Take a look at my historic bed and breakfast website at
www.theironhorseinn.com

I am an Irish woman living here in Texas for just over a year and loving it! In this journal I hope to talk about my daily experiences and observations as a non-Texan living here in Granbury.



My first observation, has been how wonderfully welcoming and friendly the people of Texas are. I had heard about their hospitality, but I can confirm that they are the warmest people to live and work among.

So how did an Irish woman find herself living in a small town in Texas anyway, and what do you do now that you are here? Well I married myself a Texan! Paul is from Abilene, but has lived all over the world and while he was living in Russia he came on vacation to Ireland and met me. So here I am happily living in Granbury Texas. We bought ourselves a beautiful 100 year old Craftsman Style house and we are running a bed and breakfast and Artistic Retreat Center here
Our historic bed and breakfast - The Iron Horse Inn in Granbury Texas.


I was only living here a few days when I came to realize just how different to living in Ireland things were going to be here - I had my first experience with "Critters"!

As a child growing up in Dublin I was often taken to the zoo, which was very near my old home. I was fascinated by the exotic and strange animals there. Vultures were one of those exotic creatures I remember seeing. Well now I can sit on my porch and see vultures in the fields
around the house!

Just a few nights ago, as I was locking up the house for the night I spotted a Possum just outside our back door - now that to an Irish woman is exotic! While out walking my dog I regularly come across armadillos, turtles and woodpeckers - all could be candidates for Dublin zoo!!